A guide to this week's movements in the insurance industry
Broker
Heath Lambert
Keith Hamill has joined Heath Lambert's board as non-executive chairman.
Hamill is non-executive chairman of Travelodge, Collins Stewart Tullett, Luminar and Bertram, and previously chairman of airline Go prior to its sale.
Cox
John Josiah and Keith Charlton will become joint active underwriters of Cox motor insurer Equity Red Star - Lloyd's Syndicate 218 - from 1 January 2006, in a move to further enhance the syndicate's broker relationships.
Current active underwriter Ray White will become underwriting director.
Josiah, whose previous role at Equity Red Star was senior deputy underwriter, will be responsible for the bespoke underwriting business.
Charlton, who joined Cox in July from Congregational & General where he was managing director, will lead volume underwriting activities.
Aon Risk Services
Aon Risk Services has appointed Kelly Sinclair from Marsh as a development executive to strengthen the charity sector team's drive for new business and build upon existing expertise.
Insurer
Highway
Michael Lawrence and Steve Kilbey have been appointed to Highway's board.
Lawrence will assume the new role of sales and marketing director to help support the intermediary channel. His previous roles at Highway include marketing manager.
Previous financial controller Kilbey now becomes group financial controller.
Current board member and deputy underwriting director and technical underwriting manager David Murray has been promoted to underwriting director.
Medicash
Medicash has appointed Mark Simpson as area sales manager for the North West.
Simpson's sales experience includes roles at TouchStar Technologies and Dun & Bradstreet. He will promote and sell the company's new Medicash Reward and Medicash First cash plans.
Legal
James Chapman & Co
Manchester-based James Chapman & Co has promoted finance director Chris McSpirit to chief financial officer.
McSpirit joined the company in 2002 from Keoghs in Bolton.
DLA Piper
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has appointed Helen Jenkinson to its insurance and risk solutions team.
Jenkinson joins from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert. Her previous experience includes working on implementation of solvent schemes of arrangement.
Other
Misys
Misys' Countrywide network has strengthened its broker and insurer relations teams with the appointment of Alex Durham and Nina Caddick.
Durham, who will support Countrywide brokers in Wales and the West Midlands, was previously an account executive for NFU Mutual.
Caddick, who joins from Secure Direct, will work closely with Countrywide's six strategic insurer partners.
HealthSure
Matthew Ward has joined the sales team of mutual healthcare provider HealthSure as senior business consultant.
Ward, who previously worked in business-to-business sales with a telecommunications firm, will aim to further develop corporate sales in his new role.
Profile
Andrew Smyth
Perkins Slade has appointed Andrew Smyth to its board of directors to spearhead the company's growth plans for its southern regional operation.
Smyth joins from Funk Gruppe, Germany's largest independent broker, where he had been a director responsible for international business development since 1996.
Before joining Funk, Smyth spent five years with Jauch & Hubener in Germany as international account manager. His early career was spent with Sedgwick in London.
Smyth said: "There is an excellent market opportunity for Perkins Slade to build on its solid foundations and grow, particularly in the area of risk management driven advisory business.
"The opportunity to make a positive contribution is enormously exciting".
Smyth spends most of his spare time with his family and two children, as well as enjoying golf and skiing.
